Vacuum cleaner



ug 4, 1931. P. H. ROBINSON l 1,816,873

` l VACUUM-CLEANER Filed oct. -19. 1929 JZ l0" Il Patented Aug. 4, 1931.

PATRICK H. ROBINSON',` OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO :HAINIIIL'JEOIv BACH MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN VACUUM CLEANER Application mea octbber 19, 182s. serial No. 400,806,

This invention relates to improvementsI in vacuum cleaners, and more partlcularly to a combination fan shaft and pulley for driving the belt connecting the drive lshaft and brush shaft of .a vacuum cleaner.

The invention is particularly adapted for use Where the power shaft is at rightangles to the driven shaft.

Heretofore, in vacuum' cleaners it has been found verydillicult to arrange a fan shaft so that the belt, connecting it with the brush pulley, will stay in position, especially when the motor is stopped and started, the natural inclination being for the belt to run olf the shaft.

One of the objects of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned difficulty by providing a combination shaft and pulley so' constructed and arranged relative to the brush pulley that if the belt runs olf of the pulley portion, the shaft portion there adjacent will direct it back to the pulley.

Another object is to provide a combination shaft and pulley which is devoid of notches and ianges, such as have heretofore been used to retain the belt on the shaft; these notched or flanged constructions being objectionable 4because of the friction on the belt when in contact therewith and undue wearing of the belt in use. y

The construction of the combination shaft vand pulley of the present invention is such that when the belt is Vsubjected to overload,

as is the case when the free rotation of the brush is interferedwith for any reason, the undue tension is relieved .by the tendency of the belt to run toward the free end of the tapered shaft, the angle of the taper and the relationship of the tapered shaft to the brush shaft being suchthat the belt will stop when it gets to the small, end of the tapered shaft. As soon as excess load has been relieved and the shaft gains speed, theV belt will be re-engagcd frictionally, and will run up on the tapered portion 14 until it climbs onto the pulley 11 which is its normal operat1ve position.

Another .advantage is the fact that the pulley and shaft are self-cleaning, the auto- 0 'matic reciprocation of the belt longitudinally of the shaft and pulley being eliective to keep them free from dust and lint.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in bothV of the views:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a vacuum cleaner having part of the nozzle broken away to show thel location of the improved shaft; and' Y Fig. 2 is a detail view of the shaft and pulley on a larger scale.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 5 indicates a vacuum cleaner hav- 'ing the usual nozzle 6 inthe lower portion of which is mounted a rotatable brush shaft 7 carryinga pulley 8.` Power is transmitted to the brush shaft by over said pulley.

A motor (not shown) positioned within the body portion of the Avacuum eaner is the source of power and connected to the motor shaft (not shown) is the improved combination shaft and pulley 10. The shaft l() is at right angles to the brush shaft 7, a half turn being given to the belt 9 whereby the shafts 7 and l() are connected. The belt 9 normally rides over the brush pulley 8 and the pulley 11'of theshaft 10.

The improved combination shaft and pulley 1() may be secured to the motor shaft in any suitable manner. As shown in detail in Fig, 2, it comprises a threaded inner end portion 12 for attachment to a motor shaft. A straight shank portion 1 3 of substantial length extends from the threaded end portion to the pulley portion 11, which is rounded, as shown. Extending outwardly from the pulley portion 11 is a tapered endportion 14. The taper is quite slight but the mclination and the location relative to the brush pulley are such as to insure the relieving of tension when the belt is overloaded and the return to the pulley when tension has been relieved. The. curved pulley portion 11 ofthe shaft is located above and -slightly rearwardly of the rear edge of the brush pulley 8, and the tapered end 14 of said shaftextends to a point located approximately edge ofthe brush pu ley 8. This arrangement, as heretofore explained,permits recipmeans of a belt 9 riding above the forward rocation of the belt 9, longitudinally of the pulley 11 and shaft 14.Y

I claim 1. In a vacuum cleaner having a suction 5 nozzle, a brush carrying shaft rotatably mounted in the suction nozzle parallel with the mouth of the nozzle, a drive shaft located at right angles to a plane including the axis of the brush carrying shaft and a belt extend'- ing around said brush shaft and drive shaft for driving the brush shaft, said drive shaft consisting of an elongated member having an unobstructed tapered end and a rounded pulley portion merging with the tapered end. 2. In a vacuum cleaner, in combination with a nozzle havinga suction mouth, a brush shaft in said nozzle paralleling the mouth, a horizontal brush drive shaft extending at right angles to the vertical plane including the axis of said brush shaft and having an unobstructed forward-ly tapered free end portion extending to a point located above the forward edge of said brush shaft, a pulley on said drive shaft merging with the inner end of said tapered portion and a belt for driving said brush shaft from said pulle said pulley and tapered end portion of sai drive shaft co-operating with the brush shaft to cause longitudinal reciprocation of said belt on said 20 drive shaft when said belt is subjected' to overloads from the brush shaft.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I aiiix my signature, this 7th day of October, 1929.

PATRICK H. ROBINSON. 

